Improved attachment for wash-boards



UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'-

OHARLES H. HUDSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED ATTACHMENT FOR WASH-BOARDS.4

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,361, dated February 14, 1865.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. HUDSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Rubbing Attachment for WaslrBoards; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my invention, shown applied for use 5 Fig. 2, a side view of the same in a folded state; Fig. 3, a view of the rubbing mechanism detached from the wash-board.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an improvementA on a rubbing attachment for wash-boards, which was patented by me February 16, 1864.

The object of the present inventionis to render the device more convenient for transportation than hitherto and also more durable, and capable of being attached to any of the ordinary wash-boards in use.

A represents a wash-board, which may be constructed in the ordinary manner, and, therefore, does not require a minute description. v

B B are two standards, which are secured one to each side of the wash-board by a novel means, the same consisting of a metal plate, O, secured to the lower end of each standard, said plates, having an oblong slot a made in them, through which the screws b pass into the sides of the wa =hboard, and these plates are notched at their ends opposite to the ends near the slots a, as shown at ax, so as to fit on screws c in the sides of the wash-board. By this simple arrangement the standards B B may be readily adj usted and secured in a workin g position, and also readily folded down on the wash-board as shown in Fig. 2, so as to render the device compact and capable of being transported in large quantities at a moderate cost.

D isv a shaft, which has its bearings in the upper ends of the standards B B, and through which the upper pa-rts of two arms, E E, pas s loosely and are allowed to slide freely up and down, the arms near the upper ends having each a pin, d, passing transversely through size or width. For narrow or small-sized washboards the washers are placed at the outer sides of the standards, as shown in Fig. 3,

and for wider ones one or both of these washers are adjusted at the inner sides of said standards.

The arms E E are connected near their center by a cross-bar, f, and to the lower end of y each arm a metal plate, G, is attached by a screw, g. In these plates G G are the bearings of two iiuted rollers, H H, one being di rectly in front of the other, as shown clearly inFig. 1.

The plates G G are each formed or provided with -a horizontal plate, I, projecting at right angles from its inner side to which a crossbar, J, is secured, (see Fig. 2,) and to this cross-bard there are attached two blocks, h h one near each end, the screws g passing into said blocks, and the lower ends of the arms E- bein g between the plates G G and the blocks h. To the upper surfaces of the blocks l1J the ends of a bar, K, are attached, said bar being iiat, or nearly-so, at its upper surface, and rounded at its front and back edges to form a good handle for swinging the arms E E forward and back and moving the rollers E H over the wash-board. By having the bearings of the rollers H-H in metal plates G G secured to the lower ends of the arms E E, and said plates provided or cast with horizontal plates I at their inner sides, to which the cross-bar J is secured, and thehandle or bar K attached to blocks h on bar J, with the screws g passing through the plates G, arms E, and into the blocks h, a very strong and durable means is obtained for connecting the luted rollers H H to the arms and admitting of the rollers adjusting themselves to the clothes on the wash-board as they are moved forward and back. The sliding of the arms E E in the shaft D admit of the clothes being subjected to the requisite pressure the whole length of the board.

The washboard is placed in the tub in the usual inclined position, as shown in Fig. 1,

the lower end of the wash-board being a short distance below the surface of the suds, in order that the latter may be brought up over the Y clothes on the wash-board as the rollers H H ,are drawn up over the clothes.

Ha'vin g thus described myinvention, I claim Y as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The changeable or folding Wash-board mechanism herein described, the standards B B being hinged to the sides of the wasn board by means of pins b, standing in the slots a, and having notches a', adapted to fit over stops c to hold the parts rigidly or releasel 

